The present invention relates to an insect control station for baiting and/or trapping insects, more particularly to a tamper-resistant insect control station, and more specifically to a tamper-resistant insect control station with a hand operated keyless lock.
An insect control station is an apparatus for baiting and/or trapping insects in an environment. The apparatus is left unattended in a work, school, home, shopping or entertainment environment or some other inside or outside environment. The apparatus is desirably placed at some location in such environment that is relatively inaccessible. The inside of the apparatus may include glue, to which insects stick, or may include a bait or attractant that the insect takes back to its nest.
Insect control glues, baits and attractants may or may not be toxic. Whether or not a compound is toxic to people or pets is dependent upon the expert consulted, the concentration of the chemical, the time of exposure and other factors. However, access to the glues, baits and attractants by people and pets can be minimized by maximizing the safety features of the means and methods that house the glues, baits and attractants.
Insect control glues, baits and attractants are further subject to dust, moisture and other nonhuman disturbances. For example, dust may stick to the insect control glue and water or moisture may dilute or dissolve the bait or attractant.
A feature of the present invention is an insect control station. The term xe2x80x9cinsectxe2x80x9d when used herein includes small invertebrates such as but not limited to ants, roaches, beetles, crickets, spiders, mites, flies and moths. The term xe2x80x9cinsectxe2x80x9d when used herein specifically excludes vertebrate animals such as mice and rats.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in an insect control station, of a reusable insect control station.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in an insect control station, of a relatively rigid insect control station.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in an insect control station, of inserts for the insect control station where the inserts include bait tray inserts and trap inserts and where the inserts are replaceable.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in an insect control station, of the station having multiple holes for pin connectors for securing the station to a surface.
A feature of the present invention is the provision in an insect control station having a base, a cover for the base, and openings between the cover and the base to permit insects to enter the inside of the insect control station, of a resilient catch that is depressed to unlock the cover from the base and that is recessed relative to the cover making it difficult for an unauthorized person to open the insect control station.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the resilient catch being on the base such that, when the resilient catch is depressed, the cover remains generally motionless whereby another hand must be used to remove the cover from the base.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the insect control station having two resilient catches, wherein a span between the two resilient catches or the span of the width of the cover is about the width of the hand of an average sized adult male and therefore greater than the width of a hand of a child.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the two resilient catches being independent of the other such that each of the resilient catches must be opened to remove the cover from the base.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the base and cover being shaped such that, even if the two hand operated keyless locks are opened at the same time, the cover and base cannot be drawn apart until the cover and base slide apart partially in a common plane. In other words, gaining access to the inside of the control station is a two or three step operation: the hand operated keyless locks are opened by hand, then the cover and base are moved in a sliding motion in a common plane, and then the cover and base are drawn apart.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the resilient catch having a surface characteristic that is different from adjacent surfaces such that the location of the resilient catch may be determined on the basis of touch.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of an insert in the insect control station that holds glue, bait or other attractant, where the base and cover are shaped to hold the insert to the floor of the base even if the insect control station is turned upside down.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of at least one of the base and cover having a first ramp leading from a surface on which the insect control station is mounted to the opening in the insect control station, of the insert having a receptacle, and of a second ramp on the insert leading from the opening into the receptacle.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of the profile of the insect control station being minimized. In other words, a height of the insect control station is preferably between about a quarter of an inch and about one inch.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of rigid sidewalls between the cover and the base such that, even if the insect control station is stepped on, the inside of the insect control station remains generally undisturbed.
Another feature of the invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of means for mounting the base to a surface which are independent of the cover such that the cover may be removed from the base even if the base is fixed to the surface.
Another feature of the invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of a lock between the base and the cover and a slide between the base and the cover, wherein each of the lock and slide must be operated in turn to release the cover from the base and gain access to the inside of the insect control station.
Another feature of the invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of a lock between the base and the cover and a slide between the base and the cover, wherein each of the lock and slide must be operated to release the cover from the base and gain access to the inside of the insect control station, and wherein the range of the sliding movement is relatively small such that the insect control station may be surrounded on all four sides without undermining the capability of the cover to be slid relative to the base and then drawn off the base.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station, of a portion of the cover being formed from a see-through plastic such that the bait and/or glue in the insect control station may be inspected without opening the station.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such an insect control station of the cover having knockout portions wherein baits and attractants may be fed into the inside of the insect control station without removing the cover from the base.
An advantage of the present invention is that insect glue, glueboards, lures, baits and attractants are relatively inaccessible as housed in the insect control station.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the inside of the insect control station is relatively accessible for authorized personnel to replace or add glueboards, lures and attractants and/or clean the inside of the insect control station and/or perform other servicing by hand of the inside of the insect control station.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is keyless and therefore convenient for the service technician. A keyed insect control station is less convenient because the service technician must have the proper key for the proper box. If the service technician does not have the correct key, those insect control stations will go unserviced until the next visit to the service site. Or the service technician may drive back to his or her home base, get the proper key, and return to the service site. Further, the step of using a key is burdensome at a service site having dozens of insect control stations.
Another advantage of the present invention is that, to the naive person or child with no understanding of the insect control station, a tortuous path must be undertaken for gaining access to the inside of the insect control station. The tortuous path is a two or three step operation. First, each of the independent hand operated locks must be opened at the same time. Then the cover must be slid one way. Then the cover must be drawn away from the base in a direction generally normal to the slide.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the two or three step operation requires the use of two hands because the hand operated locks are located on the base and biased to return to the locked position upon removal of the fingers and because the cover remains motionless until slid away from the base.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the insect control station may be mounted in any position. These positions include the upright, sideways and upside down positions. These positions further include angled positions such as in a stairwell on the runner of a staircase.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the glueboard, bait or attractant is housed away and relatively isolated from dust and moisture.